Granular material conveyor

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an improved conveyor. The invention provides an apparatus for conveying material having an elongated tube with an input end and a discharge end, an intake hopper having a front end secured to the input end of the tube and an endless belt for conveying material from the intake hopper to the discharge end of the tube. Mounted within the intake hopper is at least two augers positioned above the endless belt and external to the input end of the tube. The endless belt and the augers are driven with appropriate drive means. Rotation of the augers conveys granular material in the hopper toward the input end of the tube so as to flood feed the input end of the tube. The granular material is then carried to the discharge end of the tube by the belt. In addition, the invention provides for the mounting of the augers to permit adjustment of the location of the augers within the intake hopper as well as facilitating easy removal and replacement of the augers. Further, the speed at which the augers are to be driven is also adjustable. The foregoing provides great flexibility with respect to different applications which the conveyor will be used for. The invention also provides for additional feed augers located toward the rear of the hopper and adapted for moving material from the sides of the hopper towards the center where it will be transported by the belt and augers to the input end of the tube.

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/726,164 filed on Nov. 29, 2000.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to an improved apparatus for conveyinggranular material.

BACKGROUND

[0003] It is known to use screw type conveyors and belt type conveyorsfor conveying granular material from a location near the ground to anelevated position.

[0004] Screw type conveyors typically include an auger mounted within atube. The auger typically has a diameter only slightly smaller than theinner diameter of the tube or channel. Rotation of the auger drivesgranular material up the tube or channel to be discharged at an upperend. Screw type conveyors typical have high flow rates as the materialis conveyed along substantially the entire cross-section of the tube.However, some granular materials such as fertilizer and sensitive seeds(i.e. peas, lentils, beans and canola), are susceptible to damage whenconveyed in a screw type conveyor. Such damage results in reduced gradeof the granular material and/or lower germination rates of the seed.

[0005] Endless belt type conveyors typically include an endless beltmounted in an elongated transport body. The belt is rotated to transportmaterial up the transport body. Belt type conveyors cause significantlyless damage to granular material than the screw type conveyors. However,the flow rate of this type of conveyor is comparatively lower than thatof screw type conveyors.

[0006] The use of belt conveyors mounted in tubes is also known.Further, it is known to use augers mounted above such belts withinintake feed hoppers of conveyors for assisting feed of material to beconveyed to the tube conveying portion of such conveyors. One type ofsuch conveyor includes a tapered auger extending into the tube above thebelt. However, having the auger member extend into the tube may limitthe flow rate of the conveyor since a portion of the cross-section ofthe tube at the intake end is occupied by the auger. Further, the use ofa single auger in a feed hopper is problematic since the single augertends to load the belt on one side which may result in misalignment ofthe belt and damage thereto. In addition, the relatively large sizerequired for a single auger increases the height of the intake hoppermaking it inconvenient to unload certain bottom dumping hoppers into theintake hopper. Further, the mounting of the auger such that it extendsinto the tube limits the ability to adjust the positioning of the augerin the intake hopper and does not provide the flexibility necessary toensure positive clean out of the majority of the hopper. It also limitsthe ability to vary the size of the auger and, depending upon thematerial to be conveyed, damage may be caused by the auger to thatmaterial. Finally, the use of a single auger in the intake hopperpromotes spillage since, as noted, a single auger tends to load the belt(and the intake hopper) on one side.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved conveyor.

[0008] According to a broad aspect of the invention, the inventionprovides an apparatus for conveying material comprising an elongatedtube having an input end and a discharge end; an intake hopper at theinput end of the tube; an endless belt passing through the intake hopperand elongated tube and returning to the intake hopper outside the tube,said belt being adapted to be rotated for transporting material from theintake hopper to the discharge end of the tube; at least two augersmounted in the intake hopper, positioned above the endless belt; anddrive means for driving the endless belt and rotating the said augers;wherein rotation of the said augers conveys granular material in theintake hopper toward the input end of the tube.

[0009] In one embodiment of the invention, the invention provides forthe location of the augers in the hopper to be adjusted and facilitateseasy removal and replacement of the augers. Further, the speed at whichthe augers are to be driven is adjustable. The foregoing provides greatflexibility with respect to different applications which the conveyorwill be used for. In another embodiment of the invention the augers aremounted at a fixed position above the belt.

[0010] The invention also provides for a conveyor having a low profileintake hopper. This facilitates use of the conveyor with bottom dumpinghoppers, etc. which have little clearance for locating the intake hopperunderneath. Where a low profile but high volume hopper is required, awide hopper may be utilized in conjunction with additional augerslocated toward the rear of the hopper and adapted for moving materialfrom the sides of the hopper towards the center where it will betransported by the belt and augers to the front end of the hopper andthe input end of the tube.

[0011] Generally, the invention attempts to provide a conveyor with highflow rates by providing flood feeding of the conveyor at the point wherethe belt enters the tube. The conveyor of the present invention is alsoversatile in that the orientation, size and material of the augers andthe speed at which they are driven may be changed depending upon theapplication for which the conveyor is being utilized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described byway of example with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the intake hopper of a conveyoraccording to one embodiment of the invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is a top view of the intake hopper of a conveyor accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a side view of the intake hopper of a conveyor accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear end of the intake hopperof a conveyor according to one embodiment of the invention; and

[0017]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the intake hopper of a conveyoraccording to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] FIGS. 1 to 4 show a conveyor according to one embodiment of theinvention which includes an intake hopper section 1, a discharge section(not shown) and an elongated conveying tube (not shown) extendingtherebetween. An endless belt 7 is mounted on a set of rollers includingrollers 3, 5 (see FIG. 3) such that the belt has a transport run whichpasses through the feed hopper section 1 where it is guided into theconveying tube and thence through the conveying tube to the dischargesection (not shown). A return run of the belt 7 passes outside of thetube from the discharge section back to the feed hopper section 1passing between rollers 3 and 5 and through slot 9 (see FIGS. 1 and 4)and thence again through the feed hopper and back into the tube.

[0019] The feed hopper section 1 comprises a hopper 17 having a backwall 19, a front end 21 and side walls 23. At the beginning of atransport run, the belt 7 passes through the slot 9 at the back wall 19and extends to the front end 21 of the hopper where it enters the tube(not shown). Preferably, the side walls 23 of the hopper 17 are arrangedsuch that, as the belt 7 moves towards the front end 21 of the hopper,the walls gradually urge the belt into a hemispherical configuration.This assists the belt 7 in conforming to the shape of the tube andentering the tube while reducing wear on the belt 7 and hopper 17 as aresult of the belt entering the tube.

[0020] The input end of the tube (not shown) forms a closed connectionwith the front end 21 of the feed hopper 17. The connection between thehopper feed section 1 and the tube can be effected in any number ofconventional ways including bolting flanges on the tube and hoppertogether, welding, etc.

[0021] Two auger members 25 and 27 are mounted in the hopper 17positioned above the belt 7. Each of the auger members 25 and 27 haveone end bolted to the shaft of respective drive motors 41 and 43. Themotors and augers are retained on the back wall 19 of the hopper throughmounts comprising bolt and slot arrangements between plates 45 and 47and back wall 19. As best seen in FIG. 1, the plates include generallyvertically oriented slots 49 which allow for vertical adjustment of theheight of the auger relative to the hopper toward the back of the feedhopper 1. The vertical slots 49 are aligned with horizontal slots 51(see FIG. 4) on the back wall 19. The horizontal slots 51 allow foradjustment of the horizontal orientation of the augers 23, 25 in thehopper 17.

[0022] The other end of each of the augers is mounted toward the frontof the hopper 17 through mounts including bearings 53 which are boltedto bearing holders 55. The bearing holders 55 are in turn connected tobracket 57 as is clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It will be noted thatthe bearing holders 55 include generally vertically oriented slots 59which facilitate vertical adjustment of the auger flights. It will alsobe noted that the bracket 57 includes generally horizontal slots 60which allow for horizontal adjustment of the orientation of the augers25 and 27 relative to the front end of the hopper 17.

[0023] Due to the manner of mounting the augers in the hopper, removal,replacement or substitution of augers may be easily performed, Further,depending upon the applications to which a user will put the conveyor,there may be benefits to using augers having flights made of differentmaterials or augers of different size. More specifically, with respectto the flighting material, any suitable commercially available flightingmay be used including steel, plastic or brush flighting. There willgenerally be a benefit to the use of plastic or brush flighting sincethose types of flighting cause less damage to the material beingconveyed than does steel flighting. However, due to the dual augerarrangement, as discussed further below, it is preferable to have bothright and left hand flighting. Augers are commercially available withsteel flighting in both left and right hand orientation. With respect toplastic and brush flighting, it may be necessary to make a special orderfor left hand oriented flighting. Further, steel flighting may wear lessquickly than either plastic or brush flighting. Accordingly, steel maybe advantageous from a costing point of view.

[0024] With respect to the size of the auger flighting, different sizesof augers may be optimal depending upon the type of material beingconveyed. The smaller the flighting, generally the less damage whichwill be caused to the particulate material since there will be lesscontact on that material with smaller auger flighting. Further, there isa benefit to the use of smaller diameter flighting since that will allowfor a lower profile of the feed hopper 17 thereby facilitating loadingfrom a chute located relatively close to the ground. This can be quiteimportant where, for instance, the conveyor will be used to conveymaterial being deposited from a bottom discharging container. Generally,the appropriate diameter for the flights will depend upon the hopperdimensions as well as the particulate material to be conveyed.

[0025] As noted, it is preferable to use left and right hand orientedauger flights in the hopper. This is desirable to minimize spillagesince, properly arranged, the oppositely oriented augers will tend tomove the particulate material toward the middle of the feed hopper 17 asmaterial is conveyed to the front end of the hopper.

[0026] In view of the adjustability of the augers relative to the hopperand the separate adjustability of the opposing ends of each auger, it isnecessary to provide for pivoting of the auger about the connections ofthe auger to the hopper. In the illustrated embodiment, the necessaryfreedom of movement is accomplished by allowing for some play of thebolts in the slots. However, any other suitable means allowing forfreedom of movement may be utilized.

[0027]FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention withthe two auger members 25 and 27 mounted in the hopper 17 in a fixedposition above the belt 7. The hopper 17 has a back wall 61 connected toeach side wall 23. Each of the auger members 25 and 27 have one endbolted to the shaft of respective drive motors 41 and 43. The drivemotors 41 and 43 and auger members 25 and 27 are retained in the backwall 61 at a fixed position above the belt 7.

[0028] The other end of each of the augers is mounted toward the frontof the hopper 17 through mounts including bearings 53 which are boltedto bearing holders 63. The bearing holders 63 are in turn connected tobracket 65. Mounted in this manner, the augers 25 and 27 are maintainedat a fixed position above the belt 7.

[0029] As will be noted from the foregoing, in the examples shown in theFigures, a dual engine drive system is used for driving the augers.Preferably, the drive motors will be variable speed. In operation, theoptimal speed of operation of the augers may vary depending upon theapplication including the angle at which the conveyor is to be operatedand the type of material to be conveyed. However, generally, each of theaugers will be driven at the same speed. Accordingly, a single drivemotor may be utilized with suitable chain drives. Even more generally,any known drive system for driving an auger which does not undulyinhibit the ability to adjust the orientation of the augers 25 and 27 inthe feed hopper 17 may be utilized.

[0030] Generally, in operation, the auger members 25 and 27 are rotatedsuch that particulate material deposited within the hopper 17 engageswith one of the auger members which assists in driving the materialtoward the center of the front end 21 of the hopper. In the embodimentsshown in the Figures, the auger member 25 has left hand flighting and isrotated in a clockwise direction whereas auger member 27 has right handflighting and is rotated in a counterclockwise direction. Reference tothe direction of rotation of each of the auger members 25 and 27 is asit would be viewed from the back wall 19 or 61 toward the front end 21of the hopper 17.

[0031] As material is fed into the hopper 17, it is carried toward thefront end 21 by the belt 7 and/or the augers 25 and 27. As the materialmoves toward the front end 21, the belt 7 is bent by the convergingportions of side walls 23 into a hemispherical configuration forinsertion into the input end of the tube. The rotation of the augermember 25 and 27 combined with the movement of the belt 7 provide acontinuous flow of granular material to the front of the hopper 17. Whenhigh flow rates are required, the augers can be operated such that theaction of the auger members 25 and 27 provide a continuous full flow ofthe material being conveyed to the front end of the hopper 17 and theinput section of the tube. As a result, the belt and tube conveyorprovides for “flood feeding” which promotes high flow rates for theconveyor as a whole.

[0032] While the figures do not show alternate configurations, thoseskilled in the art will understand that various combinations of elementsmay be utilized which would be within the concept of the presentinvention. For instance, in addition to the belt and dual augers whichare utilized to transport particulate material toward the tube portionof the conveyor, additional augers may be added in a larger hopper fortransporting material to the belt for movement under action of the beltand dual feed augers 25 and 27.

[0033] Generally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatnumerous alterations, modifications of variations to the aboveembodiments can be made without departing from the substance of theinvention as set out in the appended claims.

I Claim:
 1. An apparatus for conveying material comprising: a) an elongated tube having an input end and a discharge end; b) an intake hopper mounted at the input end of the tube; c) an endless belt passing through the intake hopper and elongated tube and returning to the intake hopper outside the tube, said belt being adapted to be rotated for transporting material from the intake hopper to the discharge end of the tube; d) at least two augers mounted in the intake hopper, positioned above the endless belt; and e) drive means for driving the endless belt and rotating said augers; wherein rotation of said augers conveys granular material in the intake hopper toward the input end of the tube.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the augers include a left and a right auger, each of which extends from a rear portion of the intake hopper toward the front end thereof and wherein rotation of said augers tends to transport material it engages towards the input end of the tube.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said right and left augers have opposite flighting orientations and are rotated in opposite directions such that each auger tends to transport material it engages towards the middle of the input end of the tube.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one auger is mounted using adjustable mounts adapted to adjust the location and orientation of the auger relative to the intake hopper and belt.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein a first end of each auger is mounted through a bearing to a bearing holder which is in turn mounted on brackets toward the front end of the intake hopper and wherein the connection between the bearing holder and the brackets provides for adjustment of the location of the bearing relative to the intake hopper.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein a second end of each auger is connected to the drive means for driving the auger and wherein said second end is mounted on the intake hopper such that the location of said second end of each auger may be adjusted relative to the intake hopper.
 7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said drive means include separate motors connected to each auger and wherein the location of each motor is adjusted as the location of the second end of the respective auger is adjusted.
 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive means for rotating the at least two auger members are adjustable so as to provide for variable speed drive of said augers.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said augers are releasably mounted within the intake hopper to facilitate removal and replacement thereof.
 10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the depth of the intake hopper is selected so as to minimize the profile of the intake hopper while facilitating the mounting of suitable sized augers in said intake hopper.
 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one feed auger mounted in the intake hopper for feeding material from the sides of the hopper to the belt and the augers.
 12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the augers include a left and a right auger, each of which extends from a rear portion of the intake hopper toward the front end thereof and wherein rotation of said augers tends to transport material it engages towards the input end of the tube.
 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said right and left augers have opposite flighting orientations and are rotated in opposite directions such that each auger tends to transport material it engages towards the middle of the input end of the tube.
 14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein at least one auger is mounted using adjustable mounts adapted to adjust the location and orientation of the auger relative to the intake hopper and belt.
 15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein a first end of each auger is mounted through a bearing to a bearing holder which is in turn mounted on brackets toward the front end of the intake hopper and wherein the connection between the bearing holder and the brackets provides for adjustment of the location of the bearing relative to the intake hopper.
 16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein at least one auger is mounted at a fixed angle relative to the belt.
 17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one auger is mounted at a fixed angle relative to the belt.
 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said right and left augers have opposite flighting orientations and are rotated in opposite directions such that each auger tends to transport material it engages towards the middle of the input end of the tube.
 19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said drive means for rotating the at least two auger members are adjustable so as to provide for variable speed drive of said augers.
 20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said drive means for rotating the right and left augers comprises a left and right motor operationally connected to the left and right auger respectively. 